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UK Edition
14th May 2025
 
THE HOT STORY
More than 10,000 civil service jobs to be moved out of London
The government has announced a significant restructuring of the civil service, relocating 12,000 jobs from London to regional campuses across the country. The move aims to save £94m annually by 2032 and includes the closure of 11 office buildings in the capital, notably 102 Petty France, which houses around 7,000 civil servants. Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: "By relocating thousands of Civil Service roles, we will not only save taxpayers money, we will make this government one that better reflects the country it serves." The initiative is expected to generate £729m for local economies by 2030, with plans for new campuses in Manchester and Aberdeen. Some unions have welcomed the move, but concerns remain about the impact on affected civil servants.
LEGAL
Zero-hours contracts surge in UK
Data reveals that 1.17m people in the UK are currently on zero-hours contracts, marking a 12% increase over the past year, despite Labour's commitment to abolish these "exploitative" arrangements. Rebecca Florisson, an analyst at the Work Foundation, said: "The [Employment Rights] law is likely to be passed later this year, and we had expected to see the start of a long-term decline of zero-hour contracts in the UK." However, the opposite trend has emerged, with many workers trapped in unstable jobs, often trading security for flexibility. The Employment Rights Bill aims to ban zero-hours contracts without work offers and establish guaranteed hours based on a twelve-week period. Yet implementation is not expected until late 2026, leaving many workers in precarious positions.
Lidl employee wins £50k for unfair dismissal
Wayne Norman, a former senior construction consultant at Lidl, has been awarded £50,926 by an employment tribunal after being unfairly dismissed due to redundancy criteria that favoured candidates with degrees. The tribunal found that the requirement for a degree constituted indirect age discrimination. Norman, 63, argued that older employees were less likely to possess such qualifications. Employment judge Neil Maidment noted that Norman felt "discredited" and "punished" for his lack of a degree, which he attributed to his upbringing on a Welsh council estate. The tribunal ruled that Lidl failed to conduct a reasonable consultation process, leading to the unfair dismissal. Norman's claim of direct age discrimination was dismissed. The tribunal found no evidence linking his age to his redundancy selection.
Trans rights group challenges EHRC guidance
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has come under fire from the UK trans rights group TransLucent for its interim guidance stating that trans women must use men's toilets. The guidance comes after a Supreme Court ruling that declared trans women are not legally women under the Equalities Act. Lawyers at Leigh Day, acting on behalf of the group, said the guidance "incorrectly states the legal position" of the court ruling and called on the EHRC "to provide urgent clarity so as not to undermine the fairness of the forthcoming consultation."
WORKFORCE
Labour’s jobs tax hits employment
The latest jobs figures indicate a troubling trend in the UK labour market, with the unemployment rate rising to 4.5% between January and March, the highest level in nearly four years. The increase is attributed to Labour's rise in employers' National Insurance contributions, leading to a reduction in hiring and a drop in vacancies. Average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, grew by 5.6% in early 2024, but this is a decline from previous months. ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown said: "Wage growth slowed slightly in the latest period but remains relatively strong, with public and private sectors now showing little difference. The broader picture continues to be of the labour market cooling, with the number of employees on payroll falling in the first quarter of the year. The number of job vacancies has also fallen again, with the rate of decline increasing in the last few months."
Asda to end emergency worker discounts
Asda has announced the termination of its discount scheme for emergency workers, which has been in place since the Covid pandemic. The retailer, the only major supermarket affiliated with the Blue Light Card scheme, will end its partnership on 27 May 2025. Asda said: "Our focus now is on providing all our customers with outstanding value every time they visit our stores." The Blue Light Card scheme has over 4m members, offering discounts across various sectors. Customers linked to the scheme will continue to receive benefits until the end date, after which the offers will be removed.
TECHNOLOGY
Dentons launches AI Tool DAISY for Europe
Multinational law firm Dentons has launched DAISY, an internally developed AI tool which provides secure and adaptable generative AI capabilities to all Dentons’ personnel across Europe and Central Asia. The first release of DAISY includes a secure AI chat interface - including pre-defined smart tasks such as document summarisation and drafting - as well as a translation module and a browser of the firm’s policies. “The launch of DAISY is a milestone for our firm. Not only will it help boost the productivity of both lawyers and business services professionals alike, but it will also help to strengthen Dentons’ position as a leader in innovation,” said Wendela Raas, Chief Executive Officer of Dentons Europe.
INTERNATIONAL
Korean companies struggle with retention
According to a survey by HR tech firm Incruit, 60.9% of new hires in Korean companies leave within one to three years. The survey, which polled 446 HR managers, found that the primary reason for early departures was a mismatch between job expectations and actual roles (cited by 58.9% of respondents). Other factors included low pay (42.5%) and poor cultural fit (26.6%). The impact of early turnover is considerable, with 80.5% of HR managers noting disruptions to workplace dynamics and increased workloads for remaining staff. Despite recognising these issues, only 34.5% of companies have implemented retention initiatives, with some offering incentives or mentoring systems to address the problem.
German Ford workers plan strike over job losses
Workers at Ford's plants in Cologne, Germany, are set to strike today in response to planned job cuts affecting the company's European operations. Ford announced in November that it would reduce its workforce by approximately 14% due to declining demand for electric vehicles and insufficient government support for the transition. The strike follows a vote by workers favouring industrial action, as labour representatives urge management to explore alternative restructuring measures.
CEO urges staff not to be afraid of failure
Dubai Airports' CEO Paul Griffiths has encouraged employees to embrace innovation without fear of failure, saying that no one will get fired for wanting to try something that doesn't quite work out. During a recent discussion at the Dubai Airports' Learning Week, Griffiths said: “The thing is don't be afraid to be a bit crazy. If you look at all the great innovators, like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the common thread is that these people are different. They dare to be different. They don't care if other people say, 'You're just mad. You're not going to be able to do that.' They do not accept ‘no' for an answer. They are not afraid of failure . . . We need that on a micro level across the entire organisation.”
OTHER
Suicidal thoughts confirmed as side effect of hair loss drug
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has confirmed that suicidal thoughts can be a side effect of finasteride, a drug used for treating hair loss. Following an EU-wide review, the EMA noted that most reports of suicidal ideation were associated with 1 mg finasteride tablets, which are prescribed for androgenetic alopecia. While the frequency of this side effect remains undetermined, the EMA said that the benefits of finasteride and also dutasteride still outweigh their risks. A patient card will now accompany 1 mg finasteride tablets to inform users of these risks. The EMA also plans to update dutasteride's product information to include warnings about mood changes.
 


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